Harsh Decisions [Open]

[Dao]

The road was uneven, that even the most well travelled roads still felt like there was an earthquake happening. Every other second was accompanied with an annoying jolt that continued to break the soothing rhythm of the wheels rolling along the ground and it was beginning to get on the young Feroxi male's already frayed nerves. With a brown rucksack wrapped within his arms and a rather tattered cloak doubling as a blanket of sorts to protect him from the stray gusts of winds that found its way within the tarp covered carriage, the young man grumbled internally as to why he was here exactly. His left eye closed lazily with his right eye cracked wide open to watch the scenery that was trailing after them, Dao found himself trying to recollect the stupid orders that had been given to him. He didn't want to leave the Brigade, even for a short amount of time. Not because it was an important part of him or anything remotely positive like that, no.

If he wasn't there, then he couldn't keep in contact with his objective.

That was what he feared, and if he were to be separated from them…all the years he had put into honing his blade and fuelling the hatred in his heart would have all been for nothing. He wasn't going to let that happen, even if he had to tear down the Great Wall of Ferox brick by bloody printed brick. Still, as he tried to make himself just the slightest bit more comfortable against the wooden corner of the horse drawn caravan he was sitting in, the young man began to reminisce on the face of that bastard's contact. A solo mission he called it, and that if Dao didn't follow through with it then his rights to challenge the leader would be revoked over and over again. The young man, in a fit of clear anger, had accepted and began to pack up his things that could be found in the rucksack he had with him.

He shivered slightly as a particularly strong breeze entered the insides of the ride and Dao narrowed his opened eye at the flakes of snow that had managed to make it inside the caravan's entrance. The weather was getting worse the farther they got from the border. Though the leather and chain mail armoured teenager couldn't quite make out the shadows from the outside to check the time of the day, he estimated from his body clock that it was somewhere around midday. The caravan rocked again and Dao grunted as he gripped the scabbards of his swords. He had three swords with him then, though one of them wasn't really one for his use. That much had to be given to the contact to prove something and it was the 'letter' of sorts that had to be delivered.

Bloody surrogate father and his twisted bush whacking methods. Why he couldn't just talk to the guy, Dao wouldn't know.

Letting out another annoyed sigh, and getting a look from the old Mercenary sitting across him again, the Myrmidon slowly began to take note that the caravan was beginning to slow down until it reached into a sort of full stop not even a minute later. Great, another road block. Lying against his corner again and just trying his best to ignore it, the swordsman found it somewhat difficult to do with respect to the loud shouting and haggling going outside.

Apparently there was a kind of toll that had to be paid by the Caravan to cross the 'The One True Khan' of Regna Fox.

A click of his tongue, and Dao couldn't wait for everything to just finish.

[Cain]

Regna Ferox. Famous for breeding the strongest of warriors, trained not only by the harsh climates but raised in a society where strength dictated one's importance and value, it wasn't exactly the ideal place to grow up in if one was looking for a happy and peaceful childhood. True, there were some privileged ones that were allowed such a luxury, mainly those whose family were valued by the common folk, like blacksmiths and merchants, or powerful warriors themselves, but otherwise, the rest were forced to climb atop each other, and rake their way to the top. It was poetic and at the same time, dark and cruel. But alas, that was reality. The reality that was Regna Ferox. And Cain had grew up in such a reality, even having to face it personally, in a proximity that was way too close for comfort. He had survived, however, and had indeed clawed his way to where he was then. A wandering mercenary, hired by those who could not defend themselves or simply needed an extra sword, and someone whose clients recognized to be efficient and professional. He cared not who he fought with or against, as long as the coin was right. It wasn't honorable, no, but it was indeed a rather rewarding way to live. Warriors were not the only kind of people to come out of Regna Ferox, though. For such a society, there were bound to be plentiful of idiots as well. Idiots like the very man that Cain had been hired to hunt that day. The 21-year-old sat upon the top of the cliff, overlooking the road where this self-proclaimed 'One True Khan' operated with his merry band of men. Highwaymen. A defeated sigh escaped from his fair lips, as he ruffled his hair lightly. These recent days, it seemed that he had been made to face against highwaymen more frequently than before. Had the economy really dropped so much that these people were forced to resort to underhanded means to survive? Or were they just idio-- Hmm? What was this? Cain's golden irises caught hint of a carriage coming into view, as it was halted by the target, and Cain would slowly get up onto his feet. Well, he couldn't very well just stand there and watch these people get terrorized by the highwaymen, could he? Releasing a scoff, accompanied by a grin, the Mercenary would shake his head, and slowly make his way down from his elevated position. It was showtime.

◀ MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Dao]

He felt his shoulder blades slide against the roughened wood behind him as he continued to back up against it. The ratty cloak he had doubled up as a blanket was unfortunately becoming less of a comforting addition and was slowly turning into a constrictive irritation. Dao had tried his best to not do anything, to conserve his strength for the trip that he was undoubtedly going to be making by the time he reached his destination. He also didn't feel like whetting his blade on some thing like this. Those had been his initial thoughts, and he continued to try and make himself a bit more comfortable no matter what happened outside. Unfortunately for him, it was not to be as the shouting and the disagreements that had been happening not too far from the front of the carriage became louder.

He grit his teeth, hateful black eyes narrowing in anger as he felt his sword hand twitch. Slowly did he crack an eye open at the sound of someone sighing near him, and again it seemed that the older Mercenary across him had been the one to do such a thing. Black and brown eyes met momentarily before the latter gained a twinkle of sorts behind them. Dao's eye trailed downwards to the obvious grin that the other male had presented to him and immediately the instincts that had allowed the feroxi bandit to survive countless fights had flared up. His hand pulled at the handles of the swords he had with him, feet already manoeuvring to act as an anchor for the attack he'd have to defend.

It was for naught however as the other Mercenary had done nothing but stood up and left the carriage. Shouting was once more put into play, this time an unfamiliar voice joining in the fray. Clicking his tongue, Dao had slowly made his way to the outside of the carriage he had been on; his swords still at the ready. It had been when the sounds of steel being drawn that the young man perked up before leaping out of the carriage that had suddenly become a target for arrows. The other passengers were lucky, making it out alive with nary a scratch. Others, however, were not so lucky as life and blood were paid.

Apparently negotiations were neither the coach's nor the bandit's specialty. Whatever had been happening had more or less now dissolved into brainless fighting.

[Cain]

Regna Ferox bandits were like flies. Whenever there was prey to be found, every single one of them would flock to it. Apparently, Cain had found himself stepping into a larger hunt than he had expected to. For the moment the carriage doors opened and two men stepped out, a large number of bandits would reveal themselves, from either side of the road, upon cliffs and ditches. Cain's eyes widened, not having expected to see such a large number of these maggots. Truly insects, they were. Cain gritted his teeth, quickly lowering to a squat, as he edged over to the cliff-edge he was standing on. Below him, on another elevated platform, were a number of bandit archers, already terrorizing the convoy. Well, his target here was a single man, but he couldn't just walk away from such a scene now, could he? With that said, Cain would place his hand on the edge of the cliff, pulling his sword out with his right. No time to think. He stepped off the cliff, descending upon one such archer as he pointed his blade downwards, the blade penetrating the man's neck from behind as Cain's weight fell upon him. His fall was cushioned by the corpse, and Cain wasted no time in recovering as he pushed off his landing site, swinging the sword upwards and slicing open another bandit's torso, who was a bit too surprised by Cain's sudden appearance to react. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed the other archer notching an arrow onto his bow and aiming it at him. He gritted his teeth, as he quickly leapt to the side, landing on his upperback and executing a roll, just quick enough to dodge the arrow. "Motherfu--" Cain would cut himself off as he pushed off his kneeling stance, charging straight at the archer as he panicked to get an arrow loaded. A bit too slow, as Cain drove his sword into the man's chest, and through his heart. His left hand would come up, wrapping itself around the man's neck as he pulled him closer, and quickly turned, using him as a meatshield to block the incoming arrows. There was another cliffside platform, and the archers there had noticed Cain. Great, what was he to do now? Coming to a kneel, he kept his newly-made meat-shield atop of him, to cover the arrows, but how long till they got lucky and got a hit on him. He needed to find a way to get to them fast, or he would be in great trouble.

◀ MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Dao]

Not long after having left the carriage did the sounds of battle escalate. The reverberating echoes of iron clanging against bronze, of steel cutting through leather, and the screams of some of the passengers that had been caught by arrows as they had failed to evacuate the carriage in time. Hands flipped outwards, the handles that had been held within them following as the lengths of the blades left their sheathes. The metallic sound of iron scraping iron as they left their casing went unnoticed in due part of the chaos that had surrounded them. The black haired Feroxi stood back and took a quick cursory glance around the vicinity. Some of the passengers had began to leave, all the remaining ones carrying a weapon or three on their person. Corpses had easily littered the insides as the archers continued to fire at them from what Dao guessed to be a safe area.

There were none of those long ranged bastards here in the tracks.

Growling in discontent at the idea of having to defend himself from those Archers, the young man had decided to play defensively this time around. He'd react when he had to, and only move to ensure that he wouldn't be caught flat footed by the numerous other fighters in the area. After having worked his entire life with a bandit group, Dao was sure that he'd be pretty much used to seeing both sides of the battle. From the one being ambushed to the ones being the ambushers, the young man certainly much preferred the latter. An axe wielding individual charged at him, leathers and fur lining the attacker's body, and with some swiftness swung the axe. The feroxi male simply took a step back and traced a line through the air with his sword.

Blood splattered as he swung again, this time with much more force than before. He was rewarded with the sound of a headless body thumping against the ground. Feet moving, hopping forward and to the side again to create some kind of distance between him and the rest of the assholes who decided to make life harder for him, Dao spared a glance towards where the loudest of the fighting had been happening. And as his eyes laid itself upon said battle, he felt a slight pang of disappointment.

There wasn't much fighting happening, really. Just a lot of mindless shouting and mindless swinging.

Well, it didn't matter. If the Coach and 'The One True Khan' wanted to leave them open to everyone else, that was their choice. At this rate though, Dao may have to become more active in the fighting. He'd prefer to reach the village before nightfall after all.

[Cain]

Well, there wasn't much use thinking on it, was there? Cain smirked under the cover of flesh, as blood began to seep from the corpse onto his own being. And then, pushing off from his crouched position, the man would charge right at the archers, still covered by his meat shield, before he leapt off of his own platform onto the next, where his targets were. In the air, Cain would use his free arm to shove the corpse off of his blade, letting it fall upon one of the archer, as he landed squarely on his feet. Executing a forward roll to cushion the pressure on his knees, he would then swing his right arm upwards, steel slicing through leather and flesh as the man's chest was vertically torn open, his bow in hand being cut into two parts as well. Moving quickly, he kicked the corpse, allowing it to collapse onto the third archer, before he turned his attention on the poor fellow the corpse had fallen on. The man was already on his knees, and an arrow notched onto his bow. Cain clicked his tongue, as he readied himself. And the arrow flew, aimed right at Cain's chest, but the mercenary's experience in combat would prove to be the better force here. That, and a supreme amount of luck, as he swung the blade inwards, parrying the arrow before it found its mark. With a surprised and amused smirk, Cain wasted no time in celebrating his feat, as he charged right at the archer, who would toss aside his bow and reveal a dagger. One that would prove useless as Cain swung a heavy diagonal blade downwards, parrying the weapon away. Following the momentum of his swing, he would twist his hips, allowing a left leg to come around and slam itself right at the side of the bandit's head. For added measure, Cain would bring his right leg up, and stomp it down on his face, knocking him out on impact. And that left Cain with just one more to handle, as he glanced over his shoulder. This time, he wasn't going to test his luck, as he swung his entire body around, his right arm traveling in a wide large arc, before he let his sword fly, the make-shift projectile rocketing through the air and embedding itself into the archer's skull. And that was the end of him. Cain would take a deep breathe. That was a close one. Just a second later, and an arrow would have found his spine. Wiping the blood off of his face with his forearm, he'd wander over towards his last kill to retrieve his sword. Just as he did, a stray glance towards the carriage would inform him of the many corpses that lay due to the archers, and also a small number that fought against the One True Khan's forces. And he blinked in slight confusion. Those clothing. Weren't they bandits?

◀ MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Dao]

The older Mercenary that had been the first to leave the carriage at the start of this mess had a sharp mind and an even sharper blade. Mowing down enemies like it was child's play, the skill this individual had displayed while fighting was tremendous. It was also within the scope of his own accumulated skill to know what had been happening as the rain of arrows that had peppered them some time ago had began to diminish. Brown eyes narrowed in slight askance before he turned his eyes over to the distances where the arrows had been supposedly coming from. A light grin spread across his face as he raised his sword arm in a waving pattern. He was literally thanking Cain from his position, quite a notable distance to send a gesture in.

It was also on the third wave of his sword did the wizened Mercenary brought his sword down and parried a beheading strike against him. Twisting around on the balls of his feet, the fighter swept his blade in a downward diagonal strike that had cleaved his opponent from shoulder to hip. The old male proceeded to take the blood away from his blade with another slash before throwing himself into the fray once more. Maybe it was the presence of his that made the fight so much easier, that the old man's skills with the sword was so impressive that everyone around him that had helped fend away the dwindling bandits wanted to do better.

Dao, certainly, felt that he wasn't doing enough. Killing people wasn't a competition, not when there was nothing for him to really gain from doing it. Yet here, paired with the rest of these fighters, the pride that the young Feroxi bandit carried within his swords began to burn even just the slightest. A hop, a misleading charge that turned into a whirling aerial strike, and Dao was on his enemy with a blade sticking out of his victim's throat. Toppling him over, the corpse falling to the floor, Dao's other sword arm continued to parry the incoming slash aimed at his neck. Twisting his body in an impressive show of flexibility, Dao ripped the blade off of the corpses neck with brutal efficiency and brought it up his new assailant's arm.

A dismembered limb was soon followed with a broken throat. Gurgling on his lack of a working throat, the bandit soon found himself losing consciousness. Unresponsive eyes that could have woken up still lost their chance as Dao casually stabbed the man's face through the nose. Raising both of his swords, giving an empty strike to the air to get the blood and the gore off of the blades, the young Feroxi bandit had then set his eyes on the the guy that had been responsible for delaying him from completing his objective sooner.

A twirl of his swords, his body going low and into a lethal stance, Dao then decided that he might as well be the one to cut the head off of this troublesome snake.

[Cain]

And Cain would find himself being waved at by one of the patrons of the battlefield. He raised an eyebrow, awkwardly raising his free hand and waving back. Was that a gesture of thanks? It seemed that the swordsman was on his side, then. And fortunately so, for his following showcase of abilities after taking down two more bandits gave Cain the impression that he was not one to be messed with. In fact, the mercenary himself wasn't entirely too sure who would win in a bout between the two of them. He was curious, sure, but this wasn't exactly the proper time and place for that. With that said, Cain would focus his attention on his true target for the day. There were still a handful of bandits left, and they were pouring in onto Dao and his compatriots. Might as well offer a hand down below, eh? Cain scoffed, before proceeding to leap down from his position. Ending the landing with a roll, he burst straight forward, his right hand swinging outwards to position his blade on his outside. One of the bandits would notice his arrival, and promptly turn to challenge the golden-eyed mercenary. Cain would smirk, accepting the man's challenge, as he eyed the raised axe, poised to embed itself into Cain's skull, but the Mercenary was a lot faster than that. He side-stepped at the very last moment, boots skidding across the sandy ground as he moved to the man's left. Cain's body would twist itself to face his target, and he swing his right arm inwards, steel slicing through spine, and intestines, as he inflicted a deep gash on the side of his lower abdomen. As if that wasn't enough, Cain would twist his wrist, reversing the movement of his sword arm, the sharp edge of his sword this time finding the man's chest. Blood splattered in every so direction, covering Cain in a thin veil of red. Another battle cry reached his ears, and he saw another Bandit charging right at him, axe equipped and eyes set on avenging his friend. The Mercenary would only click his tongue in frustration, as he took a step back, his entire upper body leaning backwards to dodge the horizontal swing. Then, quickly, he stomped his left leg behind him, pushing his entire weight upon it, before throwing himself forward. Left hand would stretch forward to grab the man's face, obscuring his vision and confusing him momentarily, just enough for Cain to drive his sword into the man's throat. Gargling sounds would come in place of screams, as Cain pushed his head back, the blade slowly sliding out from his flesh. Their numbers were slowly diminishing, the three warriors making quick work of the bandits, leaving the One True Khan to realize that he was in deep trouble, as he slowly began to retreat, yelling and shouting for his men to protect him. "Heh, useless..." Cain muttered, as he approached the man from the flank.

◀ MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Dao]

"You have lost this, you fake Khan!" An explosive shout was accompanied with an equally explosive axe strike. "One of your caliber has no right to lead the Feroxi!" The loud clang of axe and axe resonated then as both of the fighters closed the distance between them. As if they were fighting without anyone else around them, that this entire clash was just between the two of them. The two axe men's eyes locked with each other, unwilling to step away from each other even if it cost them. That more than just pride was on the line, that their very lives were being gambled in this theatrical dance of axes and screams. The force of their attacks were nullified against each other and in a moment of agreement, both Feroxi men hopped backwards. They both readied their axes once more and really, from a dramatical point of view this battle was heartrendingly amazing.

In a realistic point of view however, both should have already been dead ages ago. It was a reality that Dao was going to achieve, hopefully soon at that because it was beginning to get cumbersome. Fortunately however, the 'One True Khan' was finally noticing that what had been a notable raiding party had already been diminished to a critically dangerous amount. Much as he had wanted to prove himself today against this worthy opponent of his. the sole speck of intelligence inside that head of his told him that surviving to fight another day was the better option. A dead Khan was not a Khan anymore after all. Disengaging from the battle, an unsatisfactory expression on his face, the leader of these band of fighters had began to call out for a strategic retreat. Well, strategic for himself as his primary goal was to just not die.

Like the bumbling idiots the men were, they followed suit without much of a fuss. Brandishing swords and axes to help guard their boss, the Coach who had been an equal match against the man slowed his pace down and stared down the group of fighters with obvious trepidation in his eyes. The young Feroxi myrmidon however had no such concerns. Faster than before did he dash forward, feet almost flying along the ground as his swords were tucked in to his sides. Aiming from an angle, Dao had met no resistance until he had neared the target. A body threw itself, and its axe, on his path with full intent to kill him. Grunting a curse out, the swordsman dived forward.

Like a bullet, Dao sped past the man with his actions. Landing into a roll and continuing his mad dash at the target, one could see from behind the young swordsman a fountain of blood spraying upwards before the body fell over as a corpse. The manoeuvre had broken his stride however and though he was still running, the target had once more been able to create distance between that bastards neck and Dao's swords.

[Cain]

The man had began to realize just how disadvantageous his position was becoming. The three men were making short work of his grunts, and very soon, he'd find himself fighting off all three of them on his own. Not wanting it to come to that, he did what any smart man would do. Call a strategic retreat. His men would rally together, or at least, what was left of them, as they tried to cover his retreat. Blind loyalty. Such pitiful fools, finding themselves following such a cowardly 'khan'. Cain would break off his pace, taking a quick route towards the retreating man as he came in from the side, Dao coming straight in front the front. He wasn't going to let this man get away. An axe-wielding bandit attempted to get in the Mercenary's path, but this choice of action wouldn't be so smart for him, as Cain suddenly dove forward, right hand extended. As the man's arms came swinging down, they would find themselves hindered in mid-swing as Cain's blade embedded itself into his hand. Through the axe's shaft, the blade would pierce, and Cain's weight would push the man's pinned hands and axe back at him, his own blade piercing through skull and brain as it went into the bandit's head. A show of sheer force and power. Continuing on his run, Cain would allow his right arm to go limp, as it fell to the side, alongside his new victim, before allowing his forward momentum to pull the sword out from the skull, the axe and his hands. The One True Khan would notice Cain, finally, and realize that his escape would be foiled momentarily. With a loud battle cry, he suddenly skidded to a halt, weapon raised as he swung horizontally at Cain. The Mercenary found himself caught off-guard, to say the least. This man was a lot faster than he had gave him credit for. Reacting quickly, he placed his weapon on the path of the axe, parrying the weapon. His posture, however, was far from prepared for the impact, and Cain found himself falling sidewards from his run, landing on his shoulder and rolling across his back, only to land on his knee. Having dispatched the Mercenary, the One True Khan's attention was turned to Dao, as he reeled his right arm back, ready to attack Dao in the same manner. Cain smirked. At that brief moment, that particular milisecond, Cain's eyes would meet with Dao. And he knew immediately what he had to do. From his crouched position, Cain leapt forward, like a viper, as he swung his right arm downwards. The One True Khan's arm would continue to swing towards Dao, but he would find that regardless of whether Dao dodged or not, the attack would miss. From his elbow down, his entire arm had been sliced off, his dismembered forearm flying in the air, axe still in the dead hand's grip, as Cain landed to the side, hiss whole blade covered in blood. And all that was left then was for Dao to finish the man off.

◀ MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Dao]

It felt like he was flying as he increased the pace of his dash. There was no concern over stealth, and his entire form meant to increase his velocity. Body angled low with his swords aimed behind him, Dao's eyes had locked unto his target. In the distance that still existed between him and the One True Khan, the young feroxi had noted a shadow crossing into his periphery and had began to engage the opponent. He saw the axeman swing, successful in sending the other swordsman careening away. Dao's grip tightened then, his swords beginning to move from their preparatory position and into the lethal strike that he hoped would quickly finish this confrontation.

And in the heartbeat that the One True Khan took to position himself to engage the black eyed Myrmidon, Dao saw a glint of recognition in the golden eyes of the third factor of this little moment. Unbidden, a feral smirk spread itself across the young man's visage as he double stepped forward. The attack that he had been required to dodge had its pattern disrupted, leaving it to be a useless attack whose only driving force was a quickly diminishing amount of momentum. In a blink of an eye, Dao found himself airborne then with his swords crossed to create a shape reminiscent of gigantic shears. He continued forward, blades aligning themselves against the target's neck as he allowed the built up force to do the job for him.

His knee connected with the man's stomach and his opponent lurched forward. As flesh met steel, the leather wearing Feroxi felt a splattering of blood take him on the front--coating him in a disgusting veil of an opponent that had no right to call himself as a Khan. Landing swords first, his knee digging deeper into the corpse's stomach, the black eyed Myrmidon would quickly dislodge his blades from the toughened soil before pointing them over at the other sword wielding male that had contributed into the battle. With their main target now taken out, there was nothing else keeping up whatever little truce they had going and being the paranoid teenager that he was, Dao didn't want to be caught off guard.

Smoulderingly joyful ebony met the Mercenary's own gold orbs for short moment before a different sword interjected itself in the wordless conversation.

"Now, now, Child. The battle is over! Stay your sword hand…unless you're confident enough to take both of us on?" The monstrous swordsman from before announced, and as if he was a toddler Dao quickly took several steps back. His instincts telling him to sheathe his blades and stay out of it. Looking at him with a fond expression, the wizened swordsman would turn his harmless brown eyes to meet the other man. "Nice back hand you have there. A mercenary, I'm guessing?"

[Cain]

Cain would bring himself straight up on his two feet, as he glanced over his shoulder. At this point, Dao had already struck the finishing blow, having no obstacle to his attack due to Cain's interference. A soft smirk came upon the Mercenary's face, as he slowly turned to face the dark-haired bandit, his sword coming up to rest on his right shoulder. Now that had been an impressive kill. He hadn't expect the boy to go for the dive, but alas, he had, and with that, Cain's job here was done. However, his contribution would be met with a rather unusual gesture, as the other swordsman pointed his blade at Cain. The Mercenary raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's certainly a nice way to thank a guy," he remarked in a rather sarcastic tone, evidently offended by it. This guy wanted a duel, huh? Cain certainly wasn't going to deny him that. He lowered his right hand, lifting his sword off his shoulder, as he readied himself. Before any moves could be made, however, the two would find themselves by the third person of their little party, who had apparently already routed the rest of the ambushing bandits. Was he talking to him? Cain's golden hues redirected themselves to meet the older man's, and he released a scoff. The idea of taking the two of them on was enticing, but at the same time, stupid. He knew the result before it would even start. These two were swordsmen on their own rights, and Cain may be able to match up against one, but two? No. "Relax. I'm not here for either of you." "Aye." Cain would follow up, answering the inquiry thrown at him, before he proceeded to sheathe his blade. No more use for it, after all. Bringing his hand up, he'd proceed to wipe the blood that had come upon his face, revealing the fair skin he carried, and the signature beauty mark under his right eye. Giving the two swordsmen another look, he'd give a bow of his head and a smirk, before turning on the heels of his boots. No more reason to linger around. His job had been done and it was time for him to collect his pay. Perhaps he'd reward himself with a good night's drink, eh? His golden eyes then wandered over towards the carriage, and he paused in his tracks. Curiousity would get the better of him, then, before he noticed something peculiar about the scene. The carriage was no merchant caravan, nor did it hold any Feroxi symbol. These guys were neither merchants, guards or soldiers. He turned back to them. "Wait a minute, if you ain't peddlers or soldiers, who are you?"

◀ MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Dao]

"Aye Lad! Me? A Peddler? Good to know the mercenaries nowadays have yet to lose their sense of humour!" Friendly was the wizened feroxi, casually sheathing his own weapon in response to the golden eyed Mercenary's actions. He had given the black haired youth a quick glance and was satisfied to see him sheathing both of his weapons as well. Turning to face the prettiest male of the present swordsmen, the brown eyed individual would walk forward if only to give Cain a hearty smack on the back for a job well done. "I'm just an old man wondering about the world to see how good the new generation is. That is to say, I was impressed to see a person of your caliber! Reminds me of, well, me when I was a kid your age!" Another hearty belly laugh echoed from the good natured male.

Almost bashfully did the youngest of the three approach them then. Though his weapons have indeed been sheathed back into their scabbards, it was obvious to anyone with an eye that Dao still had his hands on the handles. He wasn't going to initiate an attack, at least not with that beast mingling around them, but at least this way he could confirm with himself that his guard was still up. At the notion of being identified as a peddler or a soldier, the Feroxi shook his head with vehemence. He opened his mouth to retort but closed it almost immediately. His downcast eyes then raised themselves to meet brown before gold, and then brown again. "Sellsword." Was his only manageable reply---because admitting to them that he was a bandit was just dumb.

He was about to walk away then, seeing as there was nothing else for him to do, when he felt a meaty palm thunderously clap against his back. Dao stumbled, coughed out, before righting himself and sending an annoyed glare back at the only male who could have been responsible for that. "A toddler like you? A sell sword? Must be pulling my leg kid! Your eyes don't look like it!" In response, Dao simply let out a huff and tilted his head to look at any other direction that didn't have a stupid old man lecturing him in it. His gaze fell upon the carriage that they had used however, and it seemed like they had bigger problems now.

"The horses are dead."

A blunt statement, enough to probably catch the attention of the other two males and have them look at the beasts that were responsible for getting them to where they had to be. A click of his tongue, and another huff. Dao wasn't looking forward to walking all the way to the village like this. Lucky for him, the old man seemed to have some kind half baked plan forming in that head of his. "Ah, you, pretty boy! Mind telling us where you headed next? If its a town, or a village, I'd offer to come along with youz! I'm sure the kid there wouldn't mind coming along either, isn't that right boya?"

[Cain]

"Oof." Cain's right foot snapped forward, catching himself as the man's heavy hand collided with his upper back. His body was slightly hunched over, his upper back aching lightly from the impact. Had that been really necessary? Whatever the case, he had gotten his answer, yet at the same time, he felt he had not. An older man looking around the world, huh? Well, that might be a plausible answer now that he thought about it. Just another old soul wasting his life away on the road, waiting for the chance to live and feel young again. That'll explain their reason being here, and their carriage being one of no clear marking. Well, he had his answer. Cain's golden orbs would place themselves on Dao's. What was his answer? Some son? Or a nephew? Or just someone he had picked up along the way and dragged along to his misadventures? Sell sword. Cain scoffed in amusement. Just another sellsword, huh? Cain shook his head. It seemed to be the most common occupation here in Regna Ferox. Mercenaries, sellswords and bandits. Well, wasn't this country just full of sunshine and rainbows? He crossed his arms over his chest, having already straightened his posture at this point, as he eyed the smaller and younger man. And the older bandit would express his views on Dao's claim. Cain couldn't say anything, really. He had seen younger. However, not one of them was already as gifted in swordsmanship as this boy was. Who was he? Well, it was obvious that Cain had just been paranoid there. These guys were harmless. At least, towards someone who was no threat to them, and as far as he was concerned, Cain had no intention of attacking or provoking these guys. Now that that misunderstanding had been cleared out, it was time for him to move out. Uncrossing his arms, he would then give the two a casual wave. "Well, I'll just be off, then. Job here's done, and I've got some place to be." And with that, he turned on the heel of his boots, before proceeding to do his own strategic retreat. Before more than a single step could be taken, though, Cain would hear Dao announce a rather troublesome situation for them. The horses were dead. "Ah, you, pretty boy! Mind telling us where you headed next? If its a town, or a village, I'd offer to come along with youz! I'm sure the kid there wouldn't mind coming along either, isn't that right boya?" Cain flinched, before releasing a sigh. Then, glancing over his shoulder, he pointed down the road. "There's a tavern a short walk down the road. One of those roadside establishments to give travelers a place to take a break." Cain answered. Was he really taking these two along with them? Well, couldn't hurt, really. What was the worst that could happen?

◀ MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Dao]

"Much appreciated, lad! Best we head on while we still have some light!" Was the old man's announcement, pointing over to the direction of the supposed tavern with an exaggerated pose. A massive grin on his face, and with joviality seeping out of his very skin, the oldest of the trio was the one exhibiting the most youth as well. Seemed like irony had a thing for messing the balance of things. His moment of overflowing virility over, the muscled swordsman began to march at a comfortable pace for him---which due to his height might as well have been a brisk walk for the other two if they wanted to catch up. Sighing out loud, Dao offered a glance towards the Mercenary that had given them the information before returning his gaze to the back of the man who had more or less decimated the bandits from before.

One of his hands detached itself from the handle of his sword in order to pull up the scarf that had gotten slightly loose from the earlier excursion. Letting the fabric rest around the lower half of his face, Dao began to breathe into it to let the warmth spread across his cheeks. With nothing else to do but follow the man, the youngest of the three followed suit. His steps were just slightly faster than normal but it was obvious that without the need to solely focus on catching up to something, the black haired feroxi was indeed trying to make as little noise as possible. Cold winds began to breeze through the path they were on, affecting not only the trio but the group of people that they left behind in the wreckage of the finished confrontation.

Walking without much of a disturbance was greatly appreciated by Dao. He could keep his thoughts to himself, just focusing on the task at hand, and he'll eventually be able to find a different route to use in order to get to that guy that he had to deliver the weapon to.

"OI!" A resounding boom reverberated through Dao's skull as the muscled swordsman at the front suddenly stopped walking. Putting his fists against his waist before turning around to face the remaining duo of the little group they were in, the wizened feroxi could be seen sporting the most serious face he had put on at the entire time the group had known each other. Dao's sword hand flinched, his fingers quickly tightening around the handle of his weapon in preparation of some kind of battle. The stupid looking grin that spread across the old man's face broke whatever tension had been in the air.

"We haven't introduced each other! My name is Edmund! What's your name, pretty boy?"

Dao was gonna die of a heart attack, that much was sure if he stuck around this guy any longer.